Conditional access (CA) systems typically transmit information related to a particular content program stream (e.g., MPEG) multiple times per second. In addition, the conditional access (CA) information needs to be protected in a manner to avoid the misuse of the CA information by end users. The protection of the CA information along with the frequency at which it needs to be transmitted may cause consumption of bandwidth on the network to the point of diminishing the quality and/or number of content services being provided.
Bandwidth is one of the most valuable assets in a network. At the same time, security is important to minimize theft of service. Any reduction of security related bandwidth usage must be weighed against security concerns to use minimal bandwidth with maximum security. In conventional solutions, full security signatures are attached to each message that is to be secured. Typically, longer security signatures provide greater security. Unfortunately, the longer signatures also require more bandwidth. New solutions are needed to minimize bandwidth usage without compromising security.